Ohio Improvement Process (OIP): A Foundation for Sustainable Improvement in Student and Adult Learning

The Ohio Improvement Process (OIP) is the state's primary strategy for supporting Ohio school districts in building the capacity of their education systems to improve instructional practice and increase student and adult learning on a continuous and district-wide basis. The OIP was not designed as a compliance tool but rather as an integral part of Ohio's differentiated accountability system.

Its nested teams and five-step process – the two core features of the OIP – foster collaborative discourse about instructional practice and student learning that is responsive to identified needs. These two core features also support educators’ use of evidence to consider and then select promising instructional strategies for improving academic and behavioral results for all learners. Further, they serve as the basis for ensuring internal accountability for implementation fidelity, system-wide learning, and mid-course correction.

The OIP also serves the state's mechanism for sustaining a unified statewide system of support, directly focused on supporting higher levels of learning for all students and student groups. Inherent in the construction of the OIP is the state education agency's belief that:

1. Improvement is everyone's responsibility – at all levels of the district and in all districts;

2. State-developed products and tools (e.g., the Ohio Decision Framework), including professional development, need to be designed for universal accessibility and applicability to every district in the state;

3. A unified statewide system of support requires the intentional use of a consistent set of tools and protocols by all state-supported regional providers, rather than allowing for multiple approaches across the state, based on preference; and

4. Improvement efforts should be focused on improving instructional practice and performance at all levels in the system.